PUTRAJAYA, Feb 10 — The Pakatan Harapan (PH) Government today stressed that it provides inclusive assistance to all types of registered educational institutions, free of political influence, and based on the government’s financial capabilities.

Press Secretary to Finance Minister Lutfi Hakim in a statement said the RM2 million allocation to a private college, Southern University College, which was recently questioned by Umno and PAS leaders was merely a narrow-minded ploy by the Opposition to play up the public sentiment.

"What is strange is that an Opposition leader from MCA has also called into question the amount of allocation, but because it was considered too small,” he said.

Commenting further, Lutfi said the Finance Ministry had previously approved a direct allocation of RM15 million to Universiti Islam Malaysia (UIM), a private non-profit institution in Cyberjaya.

“That allocation was not disputed by PAS and Umno leaders,” he added.

According to Lutfi, Budget 2019 has also allocated RM25 million for pondok schools that are registered and free from the influence of political parties. — Bernama